There is a moment in many Economics responses where students hesitate. They have explained the policy. They have outlined the effects. They know what comes next. And then they pull back.

That hesitation costs marks.

Economics is one of the few VCE subjects that regularly asks students to decide. Not to describe. Not to outline. To decide.

When students avoid that decision, even strong answers stall.

 

What avoidance looks like in practice

Students often write responses that sound careful and balanced. They explain both sides of an argument. They acknowledge benefits and costs. They use phrases like “however”, “on the other hand” and “this depends”.

Then they stop.

From the student’s perspective, this feels safe. From the examiner’s perspective, the response is unfinished.

Evaluation questions are not asking students to show fairness. They are asking students to exercise economic judgement.

 

Why balance is not the same as evaluation

A balanced response lists competing considerations. An evaluative response weighs them.

The study design makes this distinction clear. Students are expected to assess effectiveness, importance or impact. That requires prioritisation.

For example, when asked to evaluate a policy’s effectiveness in addressing inflation, students must decide whether it works, to what extent, and why. Listing advantages and disadvantages without stating which dominates does not meet that requirement.

Balance without judgement reads as hesitation.

 

How this plays out in extended responses

In longer questions, students often build strong analytical momentum. They explain mechanisms clearly. They link theory to outcomes. Then, instead of concluding, they add another paragraph that introduces a new factor.

This is usually an attempt to sound thorough. In reality, it weakens the answer.

Examiners are not counting how many factors are mentioned. They are looking for control over the argument. Strong responses narrow their focus and finish decisively.

 

Why students fear committing

Many students worry that choosing a position will make their answer “wrong”.

This fear comes from subjects where nuance is rewarded through ambiguity. Economics does not work that way.

A clearly justified judgement will always outperform a vague, non-committal response, even if another judgement could also have been defended.

Marks are awarded for reasoning, not for guessing the “correct” opinion.

The role of context in making judgement easier

Judgement becomes much easier when students anchor their response to the context of the question.

If inflation is the dominant problem in the scenario, say so. If growth is weak, prioritise policies that address growth. If the question specifies a short-run timeframe, evaluate effectiveness accordingly.

Context is not decoration. It tells students which judgement to make.

 

What high-scoring Economics answers do at the end

Strong Economics responses do not trail off. They land.

They finish with a sentence that answers the question directly. They state whether a policy is effective, limited, more suitable than alternatives, or likely to achieve its objective under the conditions described.

That final sentence often separates high-range responses from the rest.

 

A simple check that changes scores

After finishing an evaluation response, students should be able to underline a sentence that clearly states their judgement.

If that sentence does not exist, the answer is incomplete.

 

What this means for Economics preparation

Students need practice making decisions in their writing.

Preparation should include practising how to justify a position clearly, even when multiple viewpoints exist. This does not mean ignoring complexity. It means resolving it.

Until students learn to commit, they will continue to lose marks they thought they had earned.

 

Working with ATAR STAR

ATAR STAR Economics tutoring focuses on helping students develop confident, justified judgement in their responses.

We teach students how to read evaluative task words, identify what needs to be prioritised, and finish answers with clarity. This approach helps students move from careful explanation to high-scoring evaluation.

In VCE Economics, marks are awarded at the point of decision.